Full-scale X-plane to demonstrate active flow control actuators

News

Aurora Flight Sciences has been chosen by DARPA to build a full-scale X-plane to demonstrate the viability of active flow control actuators for primary flight control.

Artist's rendering of the X-65
Artist's rendering of the X-65 - DARPA

The award is Phase 3 of DARPA’s Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) program.

For flight control, the X-65 will use jets of air from a pressurised source to shape the flow of air over the aircraft surface, with AFC effectors on several surfaces to control the plane’s roll, pitch, and yaw. Eliminating external moving parts is expected to reduce weight and complexity and to improve performance.

“The X-65 is a technology demonstrator, and it’s distinctive, diamond-like wing shape is designed to help us maximise what we can learn about AFC in full-scale, real-world tests,” Dr Richard Wlezien, DARPA’s program manager for CRANE, said in a statement.

The X-65 will be built with two sets of control actuators – traditional flaps and rudders plus AFC effectors embedded across all the lifting surfaces, thereby minimising risk and maximising the program’s insight into control effectiveness. The plane’s performance with traditional control surfaces will serve as a baseline with successive tests selectively locking down moving surfaces and using AFC effectors instead.

“The X-65 conventional surfaces are like training wheels to help us understand how AFC can be used in place of traditional flaps and rudders,” said Wlezien. “We’ll have sensors in place to monitor how the AFC effectors’ performance compares with traditional control mechanisms, and these data will help us better understand how AFC could revolutionise both military and commercial craft in the future.”

The 7,000+ pound (3,175kg), unmanned X-65 will have a 30-foot (9.144m) wingspan and be capable of speeds up to Mach 0.7.

“We’re building the X-65 as a modular platform – wing sections and the AFC effectors can easily be swapped out – to allow it to live on as a test asset for DARPA and other agencies long after CRANE concludes,” said Wlezien.

Aurora Flight Sciences has already started fabricating the X-plane; the X-65 is scheduled to be rolled out in early 2025 with the first flight planned for summer of the same year.

X-65